Recruiting motivated employees is a very different challenge to recruiting skilled or experienced employees. Skills can be demonstrated by a candidate’s professional achievements. Experience can be clearly quantified by the number of years in a specific position. However, motivation is subtle and often unquantifiable.
Here are the key steps that you’ll need to take in order to ensure you are recruiting motivated employees.
Identify the Organizations Motives and Missions
In order for an employee to maintain motivation, they will need to have an intrinsic motivation to perform the role that they are being recruited for. Their role should be considered within a larger mission or motive of the organization.
When the value of their role is clear within the greater organization’s mission, it will be easier to help the employee feel valued in challenging times.
So the first step to recruiting motivated employees involves clearly defining what your organization’s bigger mission or raison-d’être is. Then, clearly outline how the role will contribute to that mission.
You’ll then be best placed to interview your candidate in a way that identifies whether their motivations are in line with those of the organization.
Ask the Candidate If They Understand the Value of the Role and Your Mission
Candidates can be motivated for many different reasons. They may be motivated by the reward incentives of the role. Alternatively, they may just be motivated by the prospect of a secure and steady income.
However, employees who are only motivated by these extrinsic, vague motivators can easily find these rewards in other roles.
This means that there is less motivation for the employee to remain your employee and not look for other jobs who can give them a better offer.
Great employees and team-players are intrinsically motivated by the company’s mission.
This means that the first step in the recruiting process is to identify that the candidate clearly understands your company’s mission or motives. Then be sure that they understand the value of the role within your company’s mission.
Explore the Candidate’s Long-Term Career Motives
Intrinsically motivated employees have a clear idea about their “why”. They have a clear, long-term professional mission beyond the extrinsic incentives and rewards of career progression, such as bonuses or salary.
In short, intrinsic motivation implies that they care about their career.
They believe in your mission.
Or at least, their own passions are in some way in line with those of the organization. That way, as long as your company maintains its commitment to their mission in everything they do, your employees are more likely to maintain motivation.
That kind of inner, intrinsic motivation will help your employees to be motivated through times of challenge and difficulty. It also means that they aren’t simply motivated by financial incentives. This enables you to more easily keep your employees engaged in the task at hand.
You’ll spot a candidate’s long-term motives and career missions by their past experience within their resume. On the other hand, if a qualified and talented professional doesn’t show a history of being passionate about your company’s mission, ask them why they are applying to the role. It may be that they have experience outside of their professional role that builds on their passion.